


Home is Where the Heart Lies

by ColorMeIn



Series: Define "Family" [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Heartwarming, Nari + Douxie + Archie being siblings, Sibling Bonding, barbara and claire mostly make a brief appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeIn/pseuds/ColorMeIn
Summary: "New York City is loud and very, very stinky."Or in which Nari muses on her current situation with Douxie and Archie in New York City.
Series: Define "Family" [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896292
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First official fic I've written for this fandom! Woo!
> 
> So, about the tags... I headcanon that Archie is the one who originally came up with Douxie's surname and even took the Casperan name for himself, too, so that's why he's Archibald "Archie" Casperan. As for Nari, she doesn't really get the custom of surnames, but when she's told that they're family names, I'd think she would find she likes the idea of being a Casperan, too, even if it takes the others outright telling her that she's their family.
> 
> Also, I know Nari is supposed to be like a nymph/dryad, but I personally like how Phyllblood sounds. Maybe consider it a subspecies of dryad?
> 
> And I know Douxie, Morgana and Merlin were called "Wizards" in the show, but I think "Mage" sounds way cooler (plus, it seems more genderneutral). Also, the alliteration? Master Mage??? I am a sucker for alliteration.
> 
> Oh, and this is hopefully part of a series, I already have the next installment in the series started, but I'm not sure when (or if) I'll ever even finish it. It's going to explore Douxie and Archie's bond more, and it'll be a multichapter fic. I do have yet another fic idea planned after that one, but that's assuming I even get there. The basic idea of this fic series is, as the title suggests, the theme of "family", which is one of Douxie's most important themes (and thus the series is kind of focused on Douxie). It's a theme that I absolutely love writing about, so hopefully I do a good job!
> 
> Sorry if the pacing is a little weird in this one, it was originally meant to be a oneshot, but then it just. Kept getting longer. I am not very good at short stories apparently because they keep turning into multichapter fics instead of oneshots. I'll try to get the second and final chapter of this fic finished soon.
> 
> Anyways, enough from me. I hope you all enjoy!

New York City is loud and very, very stinky.

Nari has decided that she much prefers the dangerous, chaotic Arcadia to this, this _suffocating,_ cold city. It had seemed nice enough when Hisirdoux, wait, no, _Douxie_ —“Douxie, Nari, Douxie. Hisirdoux is so... _formal_ ,” he’d said, hadn’t he—first brought her here a few weeks ago. With all the mortals running around and many Mages also hiding amongst the crowds, Nari knew at once that it would be a good hiding place. Sure, the flow of magic in this place is a little muffled and choked by how little nature actually exists in this place—Nari had thought Arcadia is incredibly industrialized compared to what she was used to, but New York City is on a _whole other level_ —and also the fact that all the people living here practically radiates negative energy that distorts a lot of the natural magic in the air. But, all of that only makes the bustling city an even better hiding place.

The issue? Due to her sensitivity to magic and nature, staying in such a place is _incredibly_ uncomfortable. It isn't painful, at least, not since Douxie brought a few plants to the apartment they shared, adding both color and natural magic to the room, but... Well, Douxie once compared this feeling to “standing in place for six hours while wearing high heels with a full face of make-up on”, so that's how Nari describes it. (Not that she really understands what that means. What is “make-up" and how exactly does one wear heels? Are they not already attached to one’s feet? Human customs are so strange.)

Either way, it's a very stifling feeling that makes Nari crack open the window every day even though the breeze is a little chilly at times and it lets the smog in. (Well, it _would_ , at least if Douxie hadn't recently put in those spells that kept the smog from actually dispersing into the room. He'd said something about it being incredibly harmful for her and Archie to breathe in, but isn't Douxie constantly breathing that in when he leaves for work? There was nothing he could do about the smell, however.)

Archie is clearly bothered when the window is opened, but he never actually says a word, only settling for moving to a spot that isn't in the wind's path yet still close enough that he can see out the window. (Nari sometimes catches him sitting on the windowsill, just watching everything going on outside. She never really does understand how he can sit like that for hours and stare at the brick wall of the other building. Doesn't that get boring?)

Nari knows that she should probably let Douxie know how miserable she is here, but she also knows that he works so hard to ensure that they can even _live_ here, and there aren't really any better hiding places nearby. She isn't going to make Douxie drop everything here ( _again_ , she already did that to him with Arcadia, a place he'd actually _belonged_ ) to move far away just because she's _uncomfortable_. It's fine. Nari can just...adjust. Adapt. That's what her kind is known for, anyways.

Always adapting to every environment, even the ones that they don't exactly thrive in.

Still, there are some days where the flow of magic seems even more choked and hindered than usual, and it makes the Ancient feel extremely restless. She's pacing around the apartment now, dressed in her favorite oversized shirt (Douxie had bought her more form-fitting clothes, but she finds that it's most comfortable to lounge around in a large, baggy shirt as opposed to a T-shirt and pants) and trying to distract herself by talking to the plants. They're oft very talkative, which really does help Nari pass the time while Douxie is at work, but today, she can't really focus, far too preoccupied with trying to ignore how much it feels like she's trapped in a small cage. (Again, even, it had felt much like this back when she was with the Arcane Order, even if the magic in the air didn’t feel constricted like here.)

She can’t even open a window today because there’s a downpour outside, so it’s far too cold to crack the window open even a tiny bit. Fortunately, it seems that Lady Luck is smiling upon the Phyllblood tonight, as the sounds of footsteps leading up to the apartment door can be heard from outside, as well as the distinct jingling of keys. Douxie is finally home. Archie, who had been dozing in the bedroom since noon, seems to have also heard the Mage's arrival, as he saunters into the lounge with an audible yawn. Nari rushes to the door excitedly right as it slowly swings open, revealing a slightly-disheveled Douxie holding two paper bags and his skateboard, tucked under one arm. His usually neatly-combed hair is drenched and clings to his scalp, a testament to the weather outside, yet strangely enough, the paper bags are still pristine and crisp, without even a single drop of water marring the bags. The man’s sopping clothes drip water onto the carpet as he steps forward, and before the carpet gets any wetter, Douxie sheds his navy overcoat, hanging both it and his satchel onto the nearby coat rack, and tries to wring out the water from his hair over the doormat instead.

“I'm home, you two," the ravenette mumbles, sounding incredibly exhausted yet happy as he sets his skateboard against the wall near the door. Even without sensing how dim and tired the Mage's energy feels, Nari can see the fatigue written all across Douxie's face. Work must have been particularly demanding today. A pang of guilt grabs at her heart, but she fiercely shoves it down. It would only make Douxie feel even worse if he saw how guilty she felt about all of this. That is just the kind of person the Mage is... Someone kind and compassionate enough to feel guilty, himself, for making others feel guilty or sad. Instead, Nari rushes to the bathroom and grabs a dry towel from the closet, before returning with it and handing it to Douxie, who gives her a very grateful smile. The man immediately wipes away the rainwater on his face and tries to mop up as much water from his clothes as he can. Once he’s sufficiently dry enough (or, rather, as dry as he can get), Nari takes the now-soaked towel back to the bathroom, dropping it into the hamper.

“Welcome home, Douxie," Archie purrs as he hops up onto the couch and settles on an armrest. His Mage Familiar gives him an affectionate pat before heading over to the kitchen (which is really still part of the lounge) and setting the bags in his hands on the counter.

“Welcome back," Nari croons when she returns to the lounge, already feeling better now that Douxie is home. Just being in the Mage's presence made the suffocating atmosphere seem to fade. The Phyllblood chalks it up to the sheer magical energy that Douxie radiates acting like a buffer, but she also knows that she does feel safer being near the Mage, as well. (He _did_ save her life and is her de facto guardian now.) Nari watches as the ravenette opens the bags, her eyes sparkling with delight as she realizes Douxie has brought home _sweets_.

Now, as a Phyllblood, Nari doesn't _have_ to eat physical food. It isn’t a necessity in life. She can get all the nourishment she needs by photosynthesizing like flora, and that was how she had survived all these millennia. However... The sweets that humans had created are just far too delectable for her to pass up. Nari's first sweet had been a small sugar cookie that was being handed out as a free sample in the mall, and her mind had been, as Douxie would say, completely _blown_ _away_. Who knew something so small could taste so scrumptious? Humans have truly mastered the art of cooking. The sugar cookie had been so delicious, Nari had initially thought magic was involved in its creation.

Since discovering her love of sweets, Douxie began to bring home a bag of sweets every weekend. Tasting them every week always makes Nari forget how miserable she is, even if only for a short period of time. Today's tantalizing treat is a strawberry-frosted donut with rainbow sprinkles. That’s her second favorite type of donut after cruller donuts! Her mouth is already watering as she watches Douxie carefully take the donut out of the bag, making sure to not drop even a single sprinkle, before he gently sets it on a small plate he’d taken out. Still waiting patiently despite wanting to absolutely devour the confection, Nari bounces on the balls of her feet, fighting back the urge to just grab the donut and go.

_That’s very rude, Nari, you can afford to wait a few more seconds_ , she chides herself. Douxie smiles, amused at her antics, before he takes out the object in the other bag. Archie, who had been busily grooming himself on the couch, instantly whips his head to the counter when he hears the telltale sound of a plastic container opening. The feline raises his snout to the ceiling, taking in tentative whiffs of whatever it is that Douxie has brought home. Archie’s citrine eyes widen in delight as he recognizes the smell in the air. Douxie’s smile stretches even further as he watches his dear Familiar realize what was in the paper bag.

“Is-Is that-? Is that _roast salmon_?” the shapeshifter queries as he slowly rises from where he’d been lounging and hops up onto the spine of the couch, then to the countertop.

“What else would it be, Arch? Canned tuna?” Douxie replies with a wide, amused smile as he places the takeout container back onto the counter. Sure enough, there in the black container is a steaming, glistening slab of oven-roasted salmon the size of Archie’s face. Said feline’s expression brightens even more and Nari has to stifle a giggle when the cat starts to drool. “No, my big brother deserves a little better than canned tuna, I would think.”

The Mage grabs the discarded paper bags and leans back against the sink now that his job is over. Archie and Nari both glance at him, as if waiting for a cue, and he simply gestures to the food with his hands, telling them to go ahead and dig right in. The duo need no further confirmation, with Archie immediately tearing apart the salmon and Nari picking the donut up to bite into it. Absolute bliss spreads across their faces as their taste buds quickly thank them for the delicious food they’re ingesting. It’s only when Archie is halfway into his salmon and Nari has polished off her donut that the Phyllblood realizes Douxie isn’t eating anything.

“Douxie?” she starts, pausing for a moment to lick the remainder of strawberry frosting off of her fingers. Archie stops mid-bite when he, too, notices that his Mage Familiar is simply standing there, watching them eat. Nari exchanges a glance with the feline before looking back at Douxie, her dandelion eyes searching the ravenette's own hazel orbs. “Are you not eating?”

She knows humans have to eat or they’ll die, but the Ancient isn’t sure if that applies to Douxie. He _is_ an immortal Mage like Merlin had been, and Nari can’t remember ever seeing the late legendary Mage eating anything. (She'd even asked him once if food was a necessity for him, and, though the Mage hadn't given her an actual answer, he _had_ mentioned that food is at least “enjoyable".) Maybe immortal human Mages really don’t need to eat like regular humans do.

“Oh, uh, I already ate back at work," Douxie responds, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He continues talking, explaining how there had been some leftover pasta that his boss had given to the employees to share for their dinner. The Mage then seems to remember the empty bags in his hand and rolls the drawer under the sink open, revealing a garbage bin and a much smaller recycling bin beside it. He drops the clean paper bag into the recycling and the soiled donut-oil-covered bag in the trash, an act which brings a slight smile to Nari's face. She has seen many a human toss away garbage that is either harmful to the environment or better spent recycled, but Douxie has been one of the few she's gotten the pleasure to know that has always recycled. It might seem inconsequential or trivial to others, but to Nari, it’s everything. As a Phyllblood, she is deeply connected to the Earth, thus, she can sense its suffering as well as her own. So, all the damage caused by improper waste disposal and pollution? Not at all pleasant. Nari is really only lucky she merely senses the echoes of pain from the Earth rather than the full brunt of it.

“Really, guys, I'm fine. Randy called in sick today, so it was just Rilia and I waiting tables. There was plenty of pasta to go around," Douxie adds, breaking Nari out of her thoughts. Right, they were in the middle of a discussion. Well, the ravenette sounds certain enough, and his words seem to placate Archie, who has now returned to scarfing down his salmon, so Nari is satisfied, too. Now that she's had her weekly sweet, the Ancient is feeling even better than before, in fact. Perhaps there _is_ a little bit of magic sprinkled into those tasty treats. Either way, Nari is feeling a little bit chipper about her situation. Maybe things won’t be so bad after all.

“Oh, right, Nari, Arch, I managed to get Monday off.”

That piques both nonhumans’ interest as they share a giddy glance at Douxie’s revelation. The Mage hasn’t had an actual day off to spend with them since they’d left Arcadia, so it’s quite the pleasant surprise.

“I figured I could finally take you to see the park, Nari. Oh, you’ll love it!” the ravenette goes on, animatedly detailing how Central Park isn’t like the rest of the city and actually full of green. Nari’s heart soars at the prospect of being able to commune with actual _trees_ and grass and wildflowers...

“The park? Are you certain that’s such a good idea? We _are_ in hiding.”

Annnd, then there goes Nari’s heart, sinking back down into a pit of despair when Archie’s comment reminds her of what’s at stake. The dragon _does_ have a very good point. They’ve been doing alright so far since Nari has been cooped up inside almost the entire time they’ve been in New York. The only time she was outside was when they had just arrived and Douxie had needed to buy her some clothes as a disguise, as well as figure out their living accommodations. They were fortunate enough that one of the Mage’s bandmates had connections to the landlord of an apartment complex, otherwise the trio might have been left living on the streets for a little while.

“It’ll be fine, Arch. There’ll be lots of other people there, Central Park is always busy, and we can go in disguises again. I highly doubt the Order is already up and about looking for Nari after what I did to their fortress,” Douxie argues back, giving his Familiar a pointed look as if to say, “Knock it off and just agree with me on this.” Archie rolls his eyes but otherwise drops the subject with a relenting, “Very well. Let’s hope you’re right and no trouble rears its ugly head.” Satisfied that the feline has chosen not to argue further, Douxie finally remembers that he’s still in his damp work clothes and heads into the bedroom to change.

Nari is suddenly unsure about going to the park, however. It, of course, would be absolutely fantastic to get outside for a breath of fresh air and feel grass between her toes again. She’s felt so caged in this apartment and knowing that there’s a wide field of trees and greenery somewhere in the city makes her feel even more trapped and _homesick_. The Phyllblood will never feel truly at home unless she’s surrounded by nature, and remembering that she can’t frolic in fields of wild clover and dandelions like she used to just tears her heart in two. Will she ever get to dance and sing in the clearings of forests as she had a millennium ago?

Nari sighs mentally. And she had been so happy only a few minutes ago.

_ACHOO_! The sound of Douxie sneezing thunderously as he comes back into the lounge draws the others’ attention. He’s sniffling and rubbing at his nose when Archie leaps off of the countertop to check on his Mage.

“Are you alright, Douxie?” The dragon circles around said immortal’s legs even as the ravenette keeps walking. Douxie doesn’t respond until after he’s plucked a Kleenex from the box on the countertop, blown his nose into it, thrown it out into the trash and plopped down on the couch.

“I’m fine, Arch, don’t be such a worrywart,” he murmurs back as he leans back against the cushions. “Huh... Was this couch always so soft?” Now that he’s changed into dry, comfortable wear (thank the gods for cheap clearance T-shirts and pajama pants) and relaxed onto the couch, it’s as if the day’s exhaustion has caught up to him at once. Douxie mumbles something about having a picnic at the park on Monday and tells his companions that he’ll buy snacks that they’ll both love. A yawn interrupts the Mage before he continues on. “Oh, perhaps I’ll even...see if Jim and the others can come... It _has_ been a while since we last saw them...” Nari scuttles over on all fours when Douxie falls silent, wondering if the Mage is okay when she realizes he’s just asleep. Lately, that’s all he’s done when he comes home from work each day. Nari feels even more guilty as she senses how dim and strained Douxie’s soul is again. It seems even more tired now than when he’d arrived home, and the Phyllblood wonders if part of that is due to the young man trying to hide his exhaustion from her and Archie. Sometimes, Douxie is too nice for his own good.

“He’s ‘fine’, hmm? So said the one who’s passed out cold the moment his head hit the sofa,” Archie grumbles as he hops up onto the armrest and looks down at his dear friend. “Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long. He looked about ready to drop the moment he arrived.”

“Is he...alright?” Nari fidgets with the hem of her shirt, unable to look Archie directly in the eye. She glances at Douxie’s sleeping form out of the corners of her eyes instead, noting the rather heavy bags under the ravenette’s eyes. She hadn’t realized how bad they have gotten until now. In fact, now that Douxie is completely relaxed rather than putting up a cool-and-collected facade, Nari notes that, even asleep, he looks completely drained. His brow is still furrowed, and though that might be partly because he’s fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position, Nari suspects it’s mostly because of how weary the Mage must feel. Archie wordlessly fixes Douxie’s position by grabbing the sleeping ravenette’s shirt in his mouth and pulling until the young man is sleeping on his side rather than with his head resting on the couch’s spine before answering the Phyllblood’s question.

“He’ll be fine, Nari. It’s simply been an arduous week.”

Nodding, Nari tries to believe that. It hasn’t really eased her worries much, but if Archie is saying that Douxie will be fine, then who is she to say otherwise? Her eyes flicker to the sleeping Mage again and she notes that the young man seems to be shivering slightly. Silently scurrying to the bedroom, she pulls off one of the two blankets there and brings it back to the lounge, draping it over Douxie’s body. He seems to feel better almost immediately as, once the fabric covers him, he stops shivering and unconsciously brings the blanket even closer to his body. Seeing the Mage asleep seems to make Nari feel a bit groggy, herself, as she rubs at her eyes and stifles a yawn. Archie watches out of the corners of his eyes before leaping up and transforming into his dragon form mid-jump. Flying over to the counter, he grabs the discarded container that had once housed his beloved roasted salmon and drops it into the sink to wash later, having long since finished his salmon. Returning to the couch, he shifts back to his feline form and climbs onto Douxie’s chest. Glancing at Nari, the Familiar suggests that they follow Douxie’s lead and get some rest, too, before stretching and curling up to sleep. The Ancient nods in agreement, wordlessly sitting down on the floor with her back against the couch and resting her head on the edge of the couch cushions. Even though Nari hasn’t said a word about it, Archie can tell from a single look at the Demigod’s face that she’s feeling both extreme guilt and anxiety about the situation. He closes his eyes and sighs. He hadn’t meant to make Nari feel that way.

“If you’re concerned about the picnic trip... I’m sure it’ll be alright,” he starts, not even bothering to open his eyes or lift his head. Nari looks up at him as he speaks, an almost disbelieving expression on her face. “If Douxie is truly going to invite the Guardians of Arcadia, then even if something _does_ happen, you should be safe.”

Nari’s gaze falls to the individual threads on the couch’s cushions as she digests what Archie has said. Certainly, even if her siblings from the Arcane Order somehow find her and appear at the park, with that many bodyguards, it should be just fine. Shouldn’t it? Well, alright, the Guardians of Arcadia have failed to protect her before, but that was when the Order had King Arthur as their Champion fighting for them. It had been a rather unfair fight, what with Arthur’s newfound immunity to magic since being revived, and technically, not all of the Guardians were at their full strength at the time. Plus, Douxie will be with her the entire time, so the Order would need a new advantage to achieve victory should they all cross swords. Maybe it’s okay to hope, at least a little bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, proofreading this: Why is the writing in this one so different from the first chapter.  
> Anyways, I'm sorry if the overall atmosphere and writing style of this chapter is vastly different, I have no clue why it happened? Hopefully, my future fics don't do that.
> 
> Oh, and, you know how I said this fic was going to be 2 chapters in total? That turned into a lie. The fic got longer again, so uh. I split this update into two chapters, too. Sorry, you’ll have to wait a little longer for the thrilling conclusion. I’ve added Claire and Barbara to the tags too since, while I originally wasn’t going to have them be in this fic, they are mentioned and make a brief appearance in the next and (hopefully) final chapter.
> 
> Also, thank you so much for all the bookmarks/subscriptions and kudos! It means a lot that you guys seem to like this fic. I hope to be able to meet your expectations.
> 
> I'm also sorry about the wait! My joints have been recently flaring with pain so I’ve been taking more frequent breaks. I should probably see a doctor about that but maybe not right now lmao.
> 
> I also may or may not have started rewatching the entire _Dreamworks Dragons_ series, and _might_ have a draft of a slight crossover fic with ToA (specifically, Douxie and Archie somehow find themselves in the era of Vikings during the Dragon Hunters arcs...) in my Drive already...? I don't know if I'll ever post/finish it though, I'd need to see if there's enough interest in it. I guess if you're interested, just let me know in a comment?
> 
> Also, @ArtsyPaintDoodles: I want to thank _you_ very much for your comment! It was such a delight to read. It's always my goal when writing fanfics that the characters are written accurately so I'm so glad to hear that you think I accomplished that goal!! I'm also so very happy that you liked the fic, and very grateful for your high praise. I hope to continue to provide you with good content.
> 
> Now then, you've heard enough from me. I hope you all enjoy this next installation to the tale.

The next morning, Nari awakes to the sound of someone stumbling around and things being kicked across the floor. When she opens her eyes, there’s no one around except for Archie, who’s apparently relocated from Douxie’s chest to a spot on the floor sometime during the night.

“Oh, fuzz buckets!” someone hisses in a hushed tone, though she knows only one person who says such a thing. (Human phrases are truly so very strange. Or maybe it’s just Douxie.) Satisfied that it’s only him, she shuts her eyes and tries to go back to sleep, far too tired to be active and conscious yet. However, more noise accompanies Douxie’s shouting as the Mage presumably trips over something else on the floor, much to the Ancient’s beginning annoyance. But then a loud crashing noise quickly follows soon after, and both Nari and Archie shoot up at the pained yelp that accompanies it.

“Douxie?”

The two nonhumans hop up onto their feet and make their way to the source of the noise: the bedroom. Speaking of, why do they even call it a bedroom? It doesn’t even have an actual bed yet. There’s only a metal frame there that is currently mattress-less because the mattress that _had_ been there had been absolutely infested with bugs. Nari had offered to just eat them all (bugs were what she often ate back when she lived in forests and the sun was covered), but apparently Douxie didn’t trust the mattress enough to touch it even if she managed to get rid of all the bugs, so they’d just thrown the mattress out. They’ve since been only using the bedroom as storage for the magical items that Douxie had brought along (such as the hovership, which is currently shrunk and inside a bottle since it isn’t in use, a few Monsterology indexes just in case, and Merlin’s tome), some regular books that Douxie had either bought here in New York or taken with him from Arcadia, a few notebooks (one of which Nari is fairly certain is Douxie's journal), sheet music in folders, a photo album that Douxie managed to salvage, as well as their clothes and a few spare blankets in the closet.

When she and Archie leap through the doorway and into the room, they’re met with the sight of bookshelves overturned and on the floor, and Douxie pinned underneath them. Alarmed, Archie immediately shifts to his dragon form and he and Nari both pick up the shelves, tossing them off of the poor Mage. The ravenette lets out a few coughs and breathy wheezes, still somewhat recovering from having the breath quite literally knocked out of him. He scoots backwards, slowly propping himself up on his forearms.

“Are you hurt, Douxie?” Archie fusses, practically tackling Douxie when the dragon swoops down on the young man’s chest to land and check for any injuries. Douxie lets out another wheeze when his breath leaves him yet again. His poor lungs are most definitely bruised at this point. Nari hovers around the fallen Mage, as if wanting to step in and see if Douxie is alright, too, but simultaneously wanting to give him space.

“I’m fine, Arch, now get _off_!” Douxie huffs back in between coughs as he pushes his overly-concerned brother off of him. Nari finally chooses to step in at that moment, offering a hand, which Douxie gratefully takes. After helping the young man stand back up, Nari glances at the bookshelves (which they’d left lying on the floor) and notes that all the objects that had been on the shelves are also spread across the floor. Fortunately, the hovership-in-a-bottle had landed on Douxie’s work shirt rather than breaking on the wooden flooring, otherwise they would have had an even bigger problem. Nari doesn’t think any of the other tenants would like it if a giant, hovering magical ship suddenly sprouted in the middle of the apartment complex, possibly destroying the walls and the ceiling in the process. She walks over and picks it up, lest their luck run out and someone breaks the bottle somehow.

“How did this even happen?” Archie pipes up again as he, too, glances at the fallen bookshelves. The dragon flutters over to the closest shelf and starts trying to lift it back upright, prompting Nari to rush over and help. Douxie moves the other bookshelf, as well, and soon, the two shelves are propped up against the wall once more, right where they belong. Nari places the hovership-in-a-bottle back on the shelf where it came from, as well, eager to get it off her hands before she drops it.

“I was just...getting ready for work and knocked over something,” the ravenette answers back with a nonchalant wave of his hand, and Nari swears he sounds a little strange. He rubs a little at the angry red marks made on his arms where the bookshelves had pressed into his skin and grimaces when the touch elicits a twinge of pain—alright, he's _definitely_ bruised—and mentally makes a note to magically glue the shelves down so they don't fall over again. (What if it had been Archie pinned underneath the shelves? Douxie tries not to think about it, knowing full too-well that he would have come across a flat Archie pancake. He doesn’t think it would hurt Nari too much since she _is_ an Ancient, but she’s also rather small, and Douxie doesn’t want her to get even slightly hurt if he could prevent it.) The Mage hastily bends over to pick up the books that had fallen from the shelves, but apparently he moves too fast, as a dizzy spell washes over him and he nearly faceplants. Douxie manages to reorient himself and stumbles slightly, avoiding actually pitching over and knocking his jaw against the floor. When he sways sideways, though, Nari rushes forward to catch him, gently grabbing his arm and providing him support. Archie cocks a brow in concern. Is Douxie actually alright? Now that the dragon is thinking about it, in fact, the Mage’s voice _does_ sound a little distorted, and not just from being nearly crushed twice. Humming thoughtfully, Archie flies forward, circling around his brother while scanning for any signs of illness (and ignoring Douxie’s confused protests), only to tut when he sees that the young man’s cheeks are looking a little flushed and his gaze slightly absent, as if the Mage is having trouble focusing on things.

“Sore throat, the makings of a fever, mild vertigo and sneezing,” the bespectacled dragon mutters matter-of-factly as he drops down onto an empty shelf and gives his Familiar a very stern look. “The hallmarks of a cold. When were you going to tell us that you aren’t feeling well, hmm?”

At that, Nari gasps scandalously and glances up at Douxie, who is suddenly looking very guilty. He backs away, prompting the Phyllblood to let go of his arm, and a nervous chuckle leaves his lips.

“Is Douxie ill?” Nari’s question makes said Mage flinch and when she tries to sense Douxie’s soul, the Ancient is surprised to find that it almost feels... _normal_. A frown spreads across her features as suspicion fills her because despite how calm the young man’s soul currently feels, Nari knows that it had most definitely _not_ felt this way the night before, and that not even a full night’s sleep would have cured Douxie’s exhaustion in its entirety. Not to mention Archie has never been wrong before when it came to his brother’s health. This means only one thing: the Mage has magically _hid_ how he’s feeling from her, and she does not like that one bit. “You are concealing your pain from me...”

“Whaaat? No, I’m not,” Douxie tries to argue, but his eyes wildly glancing about the room and the sheer anxiety that wafts off of him is proof enough. Both Archie and Nari cross their arms (a pose that the sorceress had actually learned from Merlin to do whenever she heard something particularly doubtful) at that, dubious frowns on their faces. Douxie lets out another nervous chuckle before his gaze falls on his work shirt.

“Oh, hey, why don’t we talk about this more when I get back from work?” the ravenette exclaims as he bends down (this time, he outright squats down, having learned his lesson earlier) to grab his work shirt. Before either Archie or Nari can get another word out, Douxie is sprinting off for the door, his phone already tucked away in his pocket and his arm through one of his work shirt’s sleeves. (It’s a miracle that he doesn’t crash into the wall when he misjudges how fast he’s running, though he does trip on the corner of the doormat.) Startled, the two nonhumans rush out into the lounge right as Douxie, having finally shrugged his work shirt on and over his tank-top, grabs his coat and his satchel from where he’d left them hanging last night, as well as his skateboard. Archie’s brow furrows, absolutely incredulous that the Mage has the audacity to try and worm his way out of this.

“Now, you _wait just a moment_ , _Hisirdoux Casperan_ —!”

“Can’t-talk-now-Arch-gotta-run!” the ravenette interrupts his older brother with a cheeky grin, speaking at a mile a minute as he throws the door open and hastily shoves his feet into his sneakers without even bothering to tie the laces. Waving goodbye as Archie is flying at him at top speed, Douxie steps outside hurriedly and sticks his head out from between the door and the doorway, shouting, “I’ll-see-you-both-later-bye!” before finally disappearing from view as he shuts the door. Nari winces at the loud thudding noise that emits when Archie slams face-first into the closed door and slides down until he falls back on the floor with a mumble of pain. Scurrying over to check on the fallen dragon, Nari cocks her head to the side as she stares down at Archie, who is currently rubbing his now sore and stinging snout. The dragon mentally swears that Douxie is going to be a _very_ _dead Mage_ when he returns home.

“Are you alright?"

Archie rolls over onto his paws at Nari's question, shaking off the pain. He mumbles back that he's just fine, only sore, only to grow annoyed when his voice comes out distorted and nasally from his snout having been practically crushed against the door. The dragon is _most definitely_ having a long, suffering talk with his brother later. Nari watches as Archie takes flight once more, soaring over and onto the countertop again where he seems to be searching for something.

“What do we do about Douxie? He did not seem as fine as he says." Nari glances back at the door again, wondering if they might be able to catch up to the aforementioned Mage if they rush out now, but supposes that it's probably too late. Douxie rides his skateboard to the station, then takes a subway to work each day, and though Nari doesn't really know what a subway is, the others have told her that it's a kind of train, and she knows how fast those are, at least. Archie seems to be thinking the exact same thing as she was, as he replies that it's far too late to go chasing after Douxie now.

“However... If I can just find my phone, I should be able to..."

He trails off as he searches the countertop for said phone then, when the furry dragon fails to find it on the counter, Archie turns to the coffee table. It’s been pushed a few feet from the couch, courtesy of Nari, who had been trying to get comfortable on the floor the previous night. Swooping down onto the table, the Familiar looks around, accidentally scattering a few papers here and there. Nari scuttles over to pick up any papers that drop to the floor, careful not to step on any by mistake. She watches Archie curiously, wondering what the dragon is doing.

“Remind me to tell Douxie to clean up his sheet music later,” Archie grumbles as he makes a mental note to put away said sheet music once he’s done here. He picks up some of the other papers on the table—are those bills? hmm, living here costs a bit more than the Familiar had expected, that’s another thing he’ll need to talk to Douxie about—letting out a groan as he digs through the last of the papers and already-opened envelopes on the table. Just _where_ is that phone? Turning to Nari, he asks if she’s seen his phone around at all and when the Demigod replies that she hasn’t, the two set off on their mission to find it. The phone is a slightly-beat-up, secondhand silver slide phone that Archie only uses in emergencies, such as alerting the Guardians or to call nine-one-one if Douxie is ever unable to. As such, the sable dragon _ordinarily_ has it out in the open on the counter or coffee table so that he can find it later, but Douxie has the terrible habit of “reorganizing” the coffee table if he needs space for his sheet music. Knowing his brother, Archie’s fairly certain that his phone has been accidentally kicked away somewhere by the Mage. Maybe the bespectacled Familiar ought to invest in a lanyard and hang the damned phone around his neck instead. Out in public, he or Douxie can simply cast a quick glamour and make the phone look like a collar, though Archie finds the very idea humiliating. (What self-respecting dragon would willingly wear a _collar_ , or even a harness, at that?) The duo spend a while searching the lounge in silence.

“Why are we looking for your phone?” For whatever reason, Nari is checking the potted rubber tree plant, as if expecting to see the phone nestled in the dirt, when she realizes she doesn’t even know why they’re searching for the phone-in-question. Her plant friend also kindly tells her that there is no phone to be found there, so she decides to look elsewhere.

“If we find it, I’ll be able to phone Douxie’s employer and inform them that my brother is too ill to work.” Archie pauses to shift into a small mouse and check underneath the couch, but finds nothing but dust bunnies there. Scurrying back out, the Familiar shifts back into his Primary Form, and Nari can’t help but giggle at the sight of a very dusty cat staring back at her. Archie shakes the dust off of himself with a grumble, feline instincts urging him to start grooming his matted fur before he continues in-between licks. “I’m not letting that idiot work at the library today, not when he’s so ill he stumbled and knocked the shelves over.”

“Ah, I see...” Nari hums as she realizes she has never really thought about the idea of Douxie being that ill before. Sure, the sorceress has noticed how exhausted the young man has become since they started living in New York. Like in Arcadia, Douxie had been forced to have multiple jobs in order to make ends meet, though he’d had to find _twice_ as many jobs compared to Arcadia since New York’s cost of living is much higher, and he also needed to purchase new home essentials. The ravenette had originally lived in the space above the bookstore in Arcadia, and the bookstore is, well, destroyed now. (Yet another thing Nari feels most guilty for... The actions of her siblings weigh upon her immensely.) Douxie had managed to salvage a number of things from the wreckage, but he and Archie had lost a majority of their possessions in the blaze Bellroc had created. Oh, and the young man has to account for Nari’s presence now, too. He’d already gotten her the plants in the house, and there are her weekly sweets to think about, as well.

...Having to protect and care for Nari is costing Douxie a lot, isn’t it? She briefly wonders if she should have kept quiet about both the sweets and the plants; it isn’t as though she _desperately_ needs either of them. Sure, without the plants, living in New York City would be somewhat painful for her (those first few days had left Nari feeling sore and weak) but the Phyllblood probably could have lived just fine. The confectioneries are entirely unnecessary, though, and really just because they make her happy. Then again, Nari supposes that Douxie would have either figured it out eventually or tried to get her a gift every now and then regardless. The Mage is often, if not _always_ , thinking about her and the others and how he might be able to help them, or even simply make them happy. Nari knows that Douxie has bought a few gifts for the Guardians before, as well, having sent them along through one of Claire’s shadow portals.

But maybe if Nari hadn’t said anything, Douxie would have at least two less things to worry about each week. He’s already working himself to the bone each day with four jobs, but he even has those magic lessons with Claire to worry about every Sunday. (Speaking of which, isn’t today a Sunday? Would Douxie even be able to exert himself for a magic lesson later? He’d seemed coherent and stable enough to sprint earlier, but that could have just been due to a quick burst of anxious energy.) The Ancient shakes the thoughts away when she remembers she’s in the middle of a search and returns to the task at hand. Nari can try and have a word with Douxie later, maybe tell him that he doesn’t have to keep bringing sweets every week, and that they have enough plants in the house now in case he’s considering getting more. (That last part is at least very true; they have that potted rubber tree as well as that small bamboo stalk, a Monstera, a few succulents and even a small tomato plant which Douxie had bought both for Nari and to save money on ingredients.) Either way, Nari supposes she can think more on ways to help her dear friend and savior later. Right now, she has a phone to find.

While Archie is going around and checking all of the small spaces the phone might have either fallen or been kicked into (all with breaks in between to clean the dust and other matter off of him as his cat instincts command), Nari tries the bedroom. She thinks she’s occasionally seen Douxie move objects from the lounge here, so there’s a chance he might have unknowingly moved the phone along with whatever else he was “cleaning up”. The sorceress is immediately met with the sight of objects strewn across the floor from Douxie’s earlier mishap. Knowing the man will try to clean it up later if he sees the mess, Nari makes up her mind to fix this.

_I can at least help Douxie by cleaning up this room_ , the sorceress thinks as she spreads her magic across the area, being particularly careful with the more fragile and delicate magical items. A gentle, vibrant green light speckled with pink flower petals overtakes the objects as Nari lifts her hand, the objects floating up in time with the motion. When she points to the shelves, the objects soar across the room, all lining up neatly. Books are set up with their spines visible, the occasional tome’s cover facing the sorceress if there is room to spare on its shelf. Magical items are gently placed near the hovership-in-a-bottle, each organized by category and type, beginning with the hovership and ending with the enchanted gemstones. (Nari has to ask Douxie about those some time; she’s been extremely curious about them, especially after that one time she caught the Master Mage _talking_ to them.) Nari puts the photo album, folders and notebooks away next, smiling when she catches sight of the open album—there are a lot of rather fantastic pictures in there; Nari thinks she saw a few rather funny candid shots of Merlin—before the items all fall into place. With the shelves complete, the Ancient moves onto fixing the spare blankets that had fallen out of the open closet (presumably when the bookshelves were knocked over), when she uncovers something that had been lying underneath a blanket out of sight. Recognizing it, Nari’s hold on the blankets falters and they drop back to the floor in a heap beside what she’d found.

Merlin’s tome sits there innocently, already open to the first page.

Is this what Douxie had been looking at in the morning? She slowly and cautiously stalks over to the book with her hands held tightly to her chest, as though it might snap at her if she draws too close, before squatting down to get a proper look. Nari dares not breathe and keeps her hands squished tightly away from the tome, afraid that the pages might crumble away into dust.

She’s never gotten a proper look at the book before. It’s actually a very impressive-looking volume, roughly as thick as her calf, with shimmering gold lining the edges of each paper. The cover is a metallic silvery-gray with brilliant green accents. A lustrous emerald rests in the center of the cover and she briefly wonders if perhaps it’s the same stone that once rested at the center of Merlin’s armor. On the first page, she can see a small painted illustration of the legendary Mage, himself, as well as lettering handwritten in pearlescent, black ink. The words are written in Ancient Draconic, and though Nari isn’t fluent in the tongue, she _does_ know a fair amount, at least enough to be able to read that this particular passage is a message from Merlin to Douxie. Most of the passage is indecipherable, the words far too advanced for her current reading comprehension level, but what little she manages to read only makes the Phyllblood’s heart stop.

“‘The Genesis Seals can be reached by...destroying...my staff...’” Nari mumbles, her voice so low and soft it’s barely a whisper. So _that_ is why she never saw Douxie with Merlin’s staff after he’d returned from Charlemagne the Devourer’s den. He... He’d _destroyed_ it in order to get the Genesis Seals... All for Nari and his friends’ safety. The sorceress slowly backs away from the book as the realization sinks in that she had essentially taken _everything_ from Douxie. She’d taken his home, his life, his friends, his _family_ , and, as she’s just learned, even mementos from him.

And... The Mage _still_ dedicates every ounce of his energy to protecting her? Doesn’t he hate her? Nari knows she would if she were in his shoes.

So... Why?

Why do all this for her? Why throw away everything he’s ever known just for one little Phyllblood? She could say it’s for the world’s sake, that he needs to keep her out of the Arcane Order’s hands in order to save the world from the ensuing destruction, but that doesn’t explain why Douxie goes the extra mile to ensure she’s _happy_ and _comfortable_.

Nari just doesn’t understand.

“Aha! I’ve finally found you, you elusive devil.”

Archie’s distant voice suddenly calls from the lounge, startling the sorceress and making her jump. She hurriedly puts the last of the mess away, still refusing to touch Merlin’s book with her bare hands, before the greenette leaves the bedroom. She’s decided to pretend that she’d seen nothing. Maybe Nari will bring it up with Douxie when he’s home later, but thinking about it causes a knot to form in the pit of her stomach. When she finally returns to where Archie’s voice had come from, she finds the feline once again covered in dust and filth, but also with his slide phone finally in his hands... Er... Paws. (Actually, Nari isn’t sure if they currently count as paws. The shapeshifter had partially-shifted his paws into hand-like appendages so that he could properly hold his phone.) Archie is seated on the floor of the kitchen, apparently having scuttled underneath the refrigerator in search of the phone.

“Really, how on earth did it wind up there?” he mumbles, shaking his head in disbelief (and causing some of the dust to fly off of him, too, an action that makes Nari break out into a small smile). “Bah, no matter, at least it’s finally been found... Really, that search took the entire morning.” And it really had; when Nari glances at the clock, she finds that it’s now a quarter past twelve. The screen instantly comes to life after Archie slides the screen up and a moment of silence ensues as he thumbs through his contacts, looking for his brother’s boss, when the device suddenly goes dark. The feline blinks. Thumb rapidly pressing the buttons on the phone, he tries to reactivate the gadget, and the screen does turn back on... Only to show an image of a blank battery.

The phone for emergencies is dead.

He blinks again, as if to check that the sight before him is real. Then, his arms fall to his sides, the phone tumbling out of his grip when his hand-paw-thing smacks against the floor. Nari jumps at the abrupt change in demeanor, and opens her mouth to ask if he’s alright when the feline lets out a growl of frustration and falls back, his spine thudding against the tile.

“...Archie...?” Nari starts, her own problems and worries forgotten as she silently steps up to the cat. “Why are you lying on the floor like that?”

“Because sometimes, Nari, life is infuriatingly naff and you need to take a moment to pause and gather your bearings.”

Nari has no idea what Archie has just said (contemporary English is very strange, she’d never really gotten to understand it) but she somehow understands what he means purely by how tired and exasperated the bespectacled cat sounds.

Silence between the duo passes for a few seconds before the Ancient slowly clambers down to join Archie on the floor. The two nonhumans lie there for what feels like ages, simply existing, until the disguised dragon bolts back upright.

“Right, well, that’s enough moping, I think.”

Nari props herself up on her arms as the feline picks the phone back up (this time in his mouth, having shifted his hands back into proper paws) and pads off to the outlet next to the rubber tree. Some sort of black cord has been plugged into it for a while, and the sorceress only now realizes that it’s the charger for the phone. She flops back onto the floor without a word, Archie clearly not needing her for this.

“I doubt it’ll charge enough before Douxie’s shift is over as there’s only an hour remaining and this thing is possibly more ancient than I am,” the feline jokes with a wry smile. He connects the charger, taking care to insert it into the charging port properly so as to not break it, and places the phone on the carpet once the screen blinks on. The image of the blank battery is present again, but a white bar flashes in the empty space inside the outline of the battery every few seconds, signifying that the phone is indeed charging. He turns back to the kitchen, walking over to sit in front of Nari, where he begins grooming his fur for the twentieth time. “But, there’s a small possibility that old thing might surprise us and charge quickly for once.”

Nari doesn’t point out that it seems somewhat silly to call Douxie’s employer and get him sent home early if the Mage’s shift is over soon, anyways. She simply sits back upright, scooting backwards so that she can lean on the side of the counter. Glancing at Archie, who is still in the process of grooming himself (but there is so much dust and other debris that Nari thinks he may as well actually wash himself off in the bath instead), the sorceress debates asking the disguised dragon about why both he and Douxie are going to such lengths for her when the duo suddenly hear footsteps marching up to their door. They jump to their feet at once. It’s far too early for Douxie to be home, so who could be at the door? Shifting to his dragon form, Archie places himself between the door and Nari, prepared to risk everything in order to protect her. The sorceress’s hands alight with her magic, the glow shrouding her face in shadow as she, too, resolves to give her all in protecting Archie. The doorknob jiggles, as though the person outside is testing the lock. Nari and Archie tense when two knocks emit from the door, the sound echoing throughout their domicile. They dare not move a muscle or even breathe. All is still and quiet.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking to believe that they would be safe in New York after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all, folks! I really hope this met your expectations, everyone. I will try to get the conclusion finished in a timely manner.
> 
> Oh, and, really quick before I go, does anyone remember/know what actually happened to Merlin’s book and GDT Arcane Books? I know the Arcane Order basically tore the bookstore apart inside, but I can’t remember if we ever see the total destruction of the place. I also don’t remember the actual structure inside and if it’s possible for there to be a living space above the bookstore. I think they just cut to everyone getting to the roof in that one scene, so I think I can get away with saying there's one? As for Merlin’s book... The last thing I remember of it is Charlemagne reading it, and then... That’s it. Did Douxie ever take it back with him??? I’d imagine he would, he wouldn’t dare leave the last thing he has of Merlin behind, but I can’t remember if we ever see him with it after.
> 
> I also very much do not remember what the book looks like, so the description is probably wildly inaccurate. My apologies for that. I tried to look up screenshots of it, but I couldn’t find any. I went off what I very vaguely remember and my own personal thoughts on how it would look.
> 
> In any case, thank you very much for reading. I hope you'll stay tuned for the final chapter!


	3. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't an update, sorry!! Just a quick author's note to tell you how things are going.

First, let me say that I am alive!! Alive and currently recovering after getting two wisdom teeth taken out, but otherwise well!!

Second, I'd like to say that I am _so_ sorry about leaving all you readers hanging!! It isn't a lie to say that I wasn't thinking of you all during this time. It was never my intention to leave you all with such an awful cliffhanger, but school had started back up and completely killed my motivation. I'd also started to hyperfixate on something else, and then my energy for this just died... I definitely could have kept writing, but I didn't want to give you all what would have been a really awfully-written ending! I only write my best when I'm really into what I'm writing, and it wouldn't be fair to you all if you opened up the fic, hoping for the epic conclusion I promised, only to get a halfhearted ending full of garbage. You all deserve better from me!

_But_! This does come with good news: I recently rewatched the entire _Tales of Arcadia_ series and thus my motivation and drive for TOA fics has revived. If you are all still waiting for the ending, I will hopefully have it done soon, and will update this "chapter" with the actual conclusion once it's ready.

I was also curious about a different TOA fic I'd had on the back burner for a while, it would be a retelling of the entire series but with major differences such as Douxie getting involved with the Trollhunters much sooner. Would you all be interested in reading that? And if so, would you prefer that I started from the very beginning (like Episode 1-2 _Becoming_ ) or would it be fine to start from the middle? I'd already written a bit of it just to get the idea onto paper, and I'd started from after Bular was slayed, which is why I ask. Feel free to answer in a comment!

Tl;dr, short version is: the ending to _Home is Where the Heart Lies_ is coming, and you might see an AUfic of the entire series from me eventually.

Thank you to anyone who is still with me, and I hope you'll stick around a little longer for the end! Love you all bunches!!

Sincerely - _Color Me In_


End file.
